Weaknesses
by singntheshower
Summary: "Rachel glanced behind her and could have sworn that she saw a dark figure dart into one of the doorways." This is the Peterson Inn. You know, the Inn that no one has ever checked OUT of. Now it's the place with ten new guests.
1. Welcome to the Peterson Inn

A/N: Here's the first chapter for you guys! Let me know if I should keep going or not. I hope you like where I'm going with this! And I still don't own anything from Glee.

Some things you should know: Finn and Rachel are engaged but not married yet. Quinn hasn't had a car accident. Kurt and Blaine are together; so are Santana and Brittany. This is taking place during their Spring Break. Since it's their last year together, they decided to take a trip. And now the mayhem begins…

Weaknesses

Chapter One: Welcome to the Peterson Inn

"Someone explain to me how the _hell_ we decided to go up to the damn mountains instead of to the beach for Spring Break!" Santana yelled from the back of the family size van.

They were in the middle of what looked like a _blizzard_ on the way to the hotel they would be staying at. The hotel was right by the ski resort. Sure, they weren't going to any real mountains or anything, but it was all a bunch of high school students could afford.

"It was cheaper and faster than going to the beach, Santana," Sam said, rolling his eyes from the seat in front of hers.

"Whatever," Santana snapped. "This makes me wish I would have just stayed home or something." She laid her head on Brittany's shoulder. Brittany was staring out of the window, seeming to be entranced by the sour weather around them. Mercedes and Quinn joined them in the backseat; Sam, Puck, Kurt, and Blaine were sitting in front of them. Finn was at the wheel and Rachel was sitting in the passenger's seat.

"C'mon, guys," Finn said cheerily. "This is gonna be fun. They've got snowboarding, skiing, tubing, and tons of other stuff."

"He's right," Rachel said brightly. She reached across and grabbed Finn's hand. "We'll have tons of fun."

"Gross," Brittany said from the backseat, making Santana smirk.

"I really appreciate your enthusiasm, but maybe we should pull over until the storm passes," Kurt suggested uneasily. He was also staring out the window like Brittany was, but he was more concerned than entertained. They could barely see a few feet in front of them. The snow was falling so thickly that it resembled a blanket rather than a nice snow flurry. Finn was only able to drive twenty miles an hour due to the storm.

"I second that," Blaine said a moment later.

"We can make it, guys. It'll just take us a couple more hours than we planned…" Finn said quietly.

"Dude, we can just find a little motel or something and go in the morning," Puck said. "The snow's not going anywhere at the resort. It'll still be there tomorrow."

Finn didn't say anything, but Puck knew who could change his mind.

"Berry," Puck said. Rachel turned to him questioningly. "Convince that dumb fiancé of yours to find somewhere for us to stay tonight. He does everything you tell him to."

"Shut it, Puckerman," Finn said warningly as Rachel glared at him.

"While he was very rude, I think Noah's right," Rachel said, turning to Finn. "My dads gave me their credit card in case of an emergency. I think a blizzard qualifies as an emergency."

Finn peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had the _you should listen to me since I'm right_ facial expression plastered on her face.

"Fine," Finn huffed. "Tell me when you see a sign for a motel and I'll pull over."

"You're so whipped," Puck said, chuckling. Finn saw Rachel reach for an empty pop can. He then heard it bounce off of Puck's head after Rachel threw it at him. The van was filled with laughter.

"Hey!" Puck said. He picked it up and threw it back at her, but she was able to hide her tiny body pretty effectively using her seat, so the can hit the dashboard and fell to the floor of the van.

"There's a sign!" Kurt called out more than twenty minutes later. "In five miles, take exit twelve and we'll arrive at the Peterson Inn."

"Oh, thank you, Jesus," Mercedes said, still sounding slightly worried.

-glee-glee-glee-

The snow almost made Finn miss the exit, but there were nine other overly-vigilant teens in the car that practically shouted at him when the exit approached. Finn took the turn off and continued to slowly follow the signs along the long road to the Peterson Inn.

"If that's not one creepy place, I don't know what is," Quinn said, looking out her window. There were multiple murmurs of agreement. The Peterson Inn was to their right. The Victorian building was dark except for a couple of lights on the bottom of three floors. The rest of the windows were incredibly dark, almost like dozens of dark eyes staring at them. The Inn was white, but the paint was obviously peeling in a multiple places.

The house also had a wraparound porch, which Rachel was sure would look quite pretty during a nice summer's day. But here in the dark, she was getting goosebumps just looking at the place. There was a little parking area to the left of the building that only had one other car occupying a spot.

"Maybe we'll get to pick the rooms we want," Finn said, trying to find something positive about the place that was giving him the creeps. Finn pulled in two spaces from the other car and put the van in park. It was silent as he turned the key and the engine quieted.

"Am I the only one who would rather keep driving in the blizzard than stay at this place?" Santana asked.

"I'd rather sleep in the car," Rachel said from the passenger seat.

"I'll share a blanket with you," Kurt said from directly behind her.

"Quit being chicken shits, guys," Puck said. "It's a damn Inn, not a haunted house." He reached out and unlocked the sliding door before pulling it open. The cold shocked all of them as they felt how hard the wind was blowing. "Let's go!" Puck shouted.

Finn and Blaine opened their doors and climbed out without protest; everyone else climbed out more apprehensively.

"Do you know how long it took to fit all the bags back here?" Finn complained after opening the back of the van. The bags were all placed in there with precision. It took half an hour.

"Blame Berry for packing her entire room," Puck replied, staring at the gigantic pink suitcase with disdain. He and Finn were the ones that had to make everything fit.

"Always be prepared, Noah," Rachel explained with a smile.

"Whatever. Everyone grab your shit," Puck said. One by one, they grabbed their suitcases out. Rachel was last and she struggled with hers a bit until Finn grabbed the handle with her. They lifted it together and placed it on the ground.

"Thank you," Rachel said with a smile. She reached up and kissed Finn on the cheek, making him smile.

"Sorry to break up this love fest, but it's freaking cold outside!" Santana snapped. Rachel rolled her eyes before pulling up the handle to her rolling suitcase.

"Let's go then," she said. Rachel walked more quickly than everyone else. When she got to the stairs of the Inn, she paused. Everyone walked past her and went into the Inn. She huffed before attempting to lift the suitcase by the handle.

"Babe, you're gonna hurt yourself," Finn said, walking up to her. "You carry my bag and I've got yours."

"Okay. Thank you," she said. Finn handed over his duffel bag, which was much lighter than her bag.

"Don't mention it," Finn said with a smirk. They walked into the Inn side by side. Finn closed the door behind them and turned to the room. The rest of the glee club was standing there, looking around. It looked like they were in an old house. There were black and white photos on the walls of random people that no one recognized. The walls were covered in white wallpaper that was littered with small red roses. The dark brown couches located around the lobby were very outdated; the whole place made them feel like they were stuck in the late 1800s.

"Usually I appreciate antiquity, but this is just too much," Kurt said to Blaine. Rachel stood close to Finn, still by the front door. She had the distinct feeling that she should grab everyone and walk back out the door. She ignored these thoughts; a place that looked as lovely as this on the inside couldn't be that bad. So, she walked up to the desk in the room and spotted a little bell. She rang it three times as they all waited for a person to show up.

"Do we _really_ have to stay here?" Quinn asked quietly. "This place still gives me the creeps."

"I don't think it's that bad," Sam said. "It kind of reminds me of my grandma's house."

"Of course it does, country boy," Santana commented.

They all turned quickly as they heard a door open. An older looking man walked into the room. His outfit was dated like the décor, making Kurt wonder if this place was themed or something.

"Hello," the man said in a gravelly voice. The hair that he still had was white; his skin was remarkably pale, like he was wearing makeup that was too pale for him. Rachel stepped away from the desk as he took a seat; she didn't know why, but she didn't trust the man.

"How many rooms?" he asked.

"Um…" Rachel said. She looked around and coupled people together in her mind. "Five."

"How many nights?" he asked, writing this in a notebook with a pencil.

"Just tonight," Rachel said. She had to quietly clear her throat; for some reason, he was making her nervous.

"We'll let you pay in the morning before you check out," he said, closing the notebook.

"Do you take credit cards?" Rachel asked.

"Nope," he said, making a plopping sound on the _p_.

"Um, okay…" she said uneasily. "How about a check?"

"That'll work," he said. The turned around to the wall behind him where there were tons of nails with keys on them. He grabbed five of the keys before turning back to the group. "Follow me." He walked back around the desk and toward the staircase. Rachel subconsciously stepped away from him again.

None of the girls really wanted to follow him, so Sam was the first to follow the older man up the stairs. Puck was behind him and the rest of the group followed behind. Rachel and Finn brought up the rear.

They all climbed the stairs onto the second floor and noticed that the Inn was decorated the same up there as it was downstairs. The older man continued to lead the way down the hallway, turning right at the corner.

Rachel was the last in line now, and she was growing increasingly frightened. As she walked, she had the feeling that someone was walking behind her. Her heart was pounding and she walked quickly, almost running into Finn. As they turned the corner, she glanced behind her and could have sworn that she saw a dark figure dart into one of the doorways.

She gasped before grabbing Finn's hand in a panic. He looked down at her, realizing that she looked scared.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Rachel controlled her expression and nodded frantically.

The man stopped at the end of the hallway.

"You'll get these five rooms. Two thirteen through two seventeen," he said. He held his hand out with the keys; Sam opened his hand and the man dropped them onto his palm. "See you in the morning," he said gloomily. The group then separated like the Red Sea as he walked back down the hallway. As he turned the corner, they could hear him start to whistle.

"That guy scares me a little bit," Mercedes admitted.

"Same here," Kurt agreed quietly.

"Alright," Sam said clearly. "Who's sleeping with who?"

"Me and Rachel are together," Finn said quickly, squeezing Rachel's hand.

"So are Kurt and I," Blaine said, looking at Kurt with a smile.

"Me and Brits share a room," Santana said.

"Alright," Sam said, handing out keys. "Us single people will split by gender." He glanced at Mercedes longingly for a moment before anyone could notice.

Sam handed Finn a key. "We got room two fifteen," Finn said to Rachel. Rachel nodded and adjusted Finn's duffel bag over her shoulder. Everyone then split up into pairs and entered their rooms.

Finn flipped the light switch on the wall as soon as he got the door open. They room was decorated like the rest of the Inn; the white wallpaper with the roses still covered the walls. The tan carpet was the same as throughout the rest of the Inn that they had seen. There were two beds, both covered with cream and white quilts. This place was _definitely_ built in the late 1800s; it seemed like they hadn't even changed the blankets since then.

"Which bed do you want?" Finn asked, setting Rachel's suitcase down.

"Can we share?" Rachel asked in a small voice. "I don't want to sleep alone."

Finn smiled widely. "Sure," he said excitedly. "And these beds look bigger than yours, so I'll be comfortable." Rachel giggled a little. She set Finn's duffel bag down in a chair before plopping on the bed.

"You okay?" Finn asked, sitting next to her. Rachel nodded before she started twisting her engagement ring around her finger.

"This place just makes me feel… uneasy," she said quietly.

"You're probably just worried about being stuck here," Finn rationalized. "The radio said the storm should pass by morning and we'll be out of here. It's just for one night."

"Right. You're right," Rachel said. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the nervous thoughts. "It's pretty late. Should we get to bed?"

"Totally," Finn said with another bright smile.

Rachel could very clearly remember the first time they attempted to sleep in the same bed; it started out a little rough, but they kissed and made up and everything was fine. Since then, they hadn't had another chance to, but they were more comfortable around each other now.

Rachel was totally cool with Finn coming into the bathroom and peeing when she was doing her hair or something. She still closed the door any time she went to the bathroom, but they were both pretty excited and thought that they were definitely growing more mature enough for the whole marriage thing.

Once Rachel was finished with her whole crazy town night routine and Finn's bladder was empty, they both laid in bed together. Rachel was practically molded into Finn, who was lying behind her and had his arms wrapped around her midsection. She still felt a little nervous in this place, but he always made her feel safe and protected.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel could tell it was still early in the morning when she woke up from a nightmare. In her dream, they were all locked in the Inn with something chasing them. Rachel could never see what it was, but it was terrifying nonetheless.

She wrenched her eyes open.

And then she screamed.

There was a man standing in the corner across from the bed.

"Finn! Get up!" she shouted. She didn't take her eyes off the man, who was just standing there. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed Finn's shoulder and shook it vigorously. "Please! Get up!"

"Babe?" Finn said, opening his eyes. "What is it?" Rachel looked down at Finn with panic in her eyes before looking back to the corner.

The man was gone. Rachel dropped her face into her still shaking hands and cried.

"Rachel?" Finn asked, sounding alarmed. He sat up and turned the lamp on that was next to him on the table. Then he pulled Rachel into his arms. "Baby, what is it?"

It took a few moments before Rachel could speak.

"There was a man standing there," she said, pointing to the corner of the room.

"Rach, no one's there," Finn said confusedly.

"Finn, he _was_ there! I swear I saw him!" she cried into his chest. Finn made comforting noises as he rubbed Rachel's back.

Minutes later, Rachel was quiet, but Finn was still rubbing her back.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Finn asked, trying to find out what would make her freak out like this.

"Yes," Rachel said. "But that's not the point! I woke up and _then_ I saw him." She looked up at Finn with pleading in her eyes. "Please tell me that you believe me."

Finn thought through his answer for a second. "I believe that you think you saw something," he said quietly.

"I'm not some lunatic, Finn," Rachel snapped.

"I didn't say you were!" Finn said quickly. "But you just woke up from a scary dream, you know. And the room was dark. There could have been a shadow and you could have thought it was a person or something…"

"I'm not hallucinating," Rachel insisted.

"Whatever you say, Rach," Finn said comfortingly.

Rachel was pretty damn sure that she wasn't just _seeing things_. Ever since they got here, she had been feeling like something was off. She saw a dark figure in the hallway and now something was standing in their room? If everyone wasn't up by six in the morning, she was going to go room to room and demand that they leave immediately.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked.

"Not really," Rachel said quietly.

"Well I'm right here. I'd never let anything happen to you anyway, so there's nothing to worry about," Finn said.

"That's very sweet of you to say," Rachel said. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I mean it," Finn said firmly.

"I know," Rachel said with a warm smile.

"Let's try and get back to sleep, okay?" Finn said. Rachel nodded before laying back down. Finn went to reach to turn the lamp off.

"Wait. Can you keep it on?" Rachel asked. Finn turned and looked at Rachel and realized that she still looked scared.

"Yeah," he said softly. He turned onto his side and pulled Rachel into his arms again. Rachel started rubbing his arm affectionately.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too, Rach," Finn said. He kissed her on the head before settling back into his pillow. Finn was asleep minutes later, but Rachel couldn't get the image of that man out of her mind. The sun had started rising hours later and Rachel still laid there, wide awake.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel stood in the dining room, jaw wide open in shock. In a picture on the wall was the man that was standing in her and Finn's room last night.

"What, Berry?" Puck said, walking up to her, eating a muffin. "You look like you finally realized Finn's an idiot." Rachel turned and smacked Puck's arm.

"Finn's not an idiot," she said sharply before turning back to the picture.

"No need to get violent," Puck said with a frown. "What the hell's your problem then?"

Rachel reached up and pointed to the picture. "I saw that man last night," she said.

"No you didn't. That picture's like a hundred years old," Puck said, rolling his eyes.

Rachel turned to Puck and leaned in more closely. "I saw him in our room last night. I had just woken up and he was standing in the corner. I woke Finn up and then he was gone," Rachel whispered.

"It was probably just a shadow or something," Puck said.

"That's what Finn said, but I know what I saw," Rachel insisted. "I have an impeccable memory and I _know_ it was _him!_" She pointed to the picture again.

Puck looked at the picture and then back to Rachel. She wasn't kidding. "This place is pretty creepy, but ghosts aren't real, Berry," Puck said.

"Rachel's finally lost her marbles," Santana said, walking up to them after hearing what Puck said.

"No I haven't," Rachel insisted. "Even you were nervous about staying here. I'm not the only one that feels it."

"Feels what?" Puck asked, looking amused.

"Nervous. Almost like you know something bad is going to happen and you're just waiting for it," Santana said, surprising Rachel. "Do you really think you saw something?"

"Yes," Rachel said firmly.

"I was hearing stuff last night. Footsteps, I mean. Up and down the hallway and even in the room above us," Santana said.

"But we're the only ones here," Rachel said uneasily.

"Exactly," Santana said.

"Okay, I'm gonna walk away. Your crazy's probably contagious," Puck said, rolling his eyes.

"Good thing we're getting out of here," Santana said. Rachel nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I don't think we are," Kurt said, walking into the room. "Look outside."

Rachel's stomach dropped as she followed Santana over to the window.

Snow was somehow falling heavier than before. And they could see the wind blowing the snow around. The blizzard hadn't passed at all.

"We can't stay here," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Why?" Kurt asked, sounding confused.

"We just can't," Rachel said. She stormed into the lobby and walked up to the front door with Santana and Kurt at her heels.

"Where the hell are you going, munchkin?" Santana asked.

"I'll sleep in the car. I'm not staying in here," she said. She reached out and grabbed the handle, turning it sharply to the side. She pulled on the door, but it wouldn't open. Confused, she twisted the lock and tried again. The door still wouldn't budge.

"Move over," Santana demanded. Rachel let go of the handle and walked over to the window. She unlocked the lock and pulled up on the window. It was sealed shut. She looked over at Santana and Kurt and saw that they were having no luck with the door, either. She took a deep breath before she pulled her strength and tired to pull the window up again. She pulled upwards with every ounce of strength she had. The window still wouldn't open.

"This is impossible," she said. She stepped away from the window in a daze before running into the desk. She jumped before turning around and forming a new plan.

"Rachel! What the hell are you doing?" Kurt shouted. Rachel had the desk chair over her head. She was obviously struggling with it.

"I'm getting us out of here," she huffed before tossing the wooden chair at the window. They all watched as the chair came into contact with the glass window. They all flinched, waiting for the sound of shattered glass to fill the air.

They weren't expecting the chair to break into pieces against the window.

"What?" Rachel said quietly, huffing and puffing. She looked over to Santana and Kurt, who both had similar looks of shock and worry on their faces.

Ten seconds later, Finn, Puck, and Sam came running into the room. They all looked from Rachel to the chair broken in pieces on the floor.

"What the hell happened?" Finn asked.

"We can't get out," Kurt said in a flat voice.

"What are you talking about?" Puck demanded.

"The doors and the window are sealed shut," Santana explained.

"Oh, please," Puck said, rolling his eyes. "You guys are just too weak to get it open." He walked up to the door and tried to pull it open. It wouldn't open. Puck looked at the door in confusion before turning the lock. He pulled again.

"What the hell?" he asked. He pulled on the door again and again, twisting the lock every which way. Growing concerned, Finn walked over to the window. He tried to pull it open, but was met with so much resistance that he was caught off guard. He checked the lock and saw that it was unlocked. He tried pulling the window open again with no success.

Sam walked over to the other windows in the room and tried to open them, too. They remained sealed shut even after he used all of his strength trying to open them.

"This has to be some kind of joke or something," Puck said.

"Yeah, I'm sure that old dude glued all the doors and windows shut just to freak us out," Santana snapped.

"Let's find him and ask," Puck said. Him, Sam, Santana, and Kurt all left the lobby at the same time. Santana and Kurt went up the stairs; Puck and Sam went back toward the dining room.

Feeling hopeless, Rachel leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. Finn walked over to her and crouched down beside her.

"We'll get out of here," Finn said. "Don't worry. We'll find that old dude and everything will be okay."

"We won't get out, Finn," Rachel said. "Something's keeping us here."

Finn shut his eyes and groaned. "Will you please stop talking like that? This place isn't haunted, Rach. This isn't some scary movie," he insisted.

"You're right. This is real," Rachel said bleakly. "But you're also wrong, Finn. Something is here."

He let out another deep breath. "No more scary movies for you," he said, trying to make a joke out of it.

Rachel was going to argue, but she knew that nothing she said would change his mind. _He'll just have to see for himself_, she thought. But then another part of her wished no one would ever see what she saw last night. She had never been more terrified in her life.

She let Finn help her back to her feet. They walked back into the kitchen together with the rest of the Glee club. Puck and Sam were already in there.

"He wasn't in the basement or anywhere on the first floor," Puck said. "He's probably upstairs somewhere."

Minutes later, Santana and Kurt came into the kitchen with worried looks on their faces.

"Did you find him?" Sam asked.

Santana shook her head.

"We tried to check every single room. They're all locked except for ours," Kurt said.

"He wasn't in the basement," Puck told them.

Rachel, who had been sitting at the table staring straight ahead, suddenly spoke up.

"He's gone," she said in a flat voice.

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: Okay, so I'm creeping myself out a little with this! I don't handle scary stuff very well, but I still want to write it. I'm probably going to make myself need therapy. But that's okay as long as you guys like it! Tell me what you think!


	2. Attacked

A/N: I have to warn you guys that this chapter gets pretty scary; it involves dead people. Karofsky's attempted suicide is also in this chapter, but in a creepy way. I'm warning you so that you aren't mad at me for including this in the story. Yes, Karofsky's attempted suicide was terrible. I adore the character and I am so sad that he felt the need to resort to that. By including it in my story, I am in no way mocking what happened or talking down about Karofsky or condoning what he tried to do. This is just a scary story. That is all. If you don't want to read it, I understand. But for those of you that are willing to read it, please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Weaknesses

Chapter Two: Attacked

_Rachel, who had been sitting at the table staring straight ahead, suddenly spoke up. _

"_He's gone," she said in a flat voice. _

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn stood there, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. There was no way they were literally trapped in this place. He had to find something harder to smash the windows or something…

Everyone in the kitchen jumped as they heard the sound of a door slamming upstairs.

"What the hell?" Mercedes shouted.

"It was just the wind or something," Finn said quickly, trying to keep everyone calm.

"Right. All of the windows are sealed shut, but it was the wind," Santana snapped.

"Maybe it was the old dude," Puck said. "I'll go check." He turned and started walking out of the room.

"Don't go alone!" Rachel said quickly. Puck paused and turned around. "Please," she said quietly.

"I'll come with you," Sam said.

They walked out of the room together.

"No one can go anywhere alone," Rachel said to the rest of the group.

"Rach, this is ridiculous! Stop acting like we're all about to die! This is overdramatic, even for you!" Finn shouted. Rachel dropped her head and stared at the kitchen table.

The kitchen was quiet for a few moments. "Apologize," Kurt demanded, staring at Finn seriously.  
>"But I-" Finn started to say.<p>

"We get that you're scared, Frankenteen. But this isn't Berry's fault. Say you're sorry," Santana said. Finn was confused for a second as to why _Santana _of all people would come to Rachel's defense, but she and Kurt were right.

He took the seat next to her and grabbed her hand.

"Rach, I'm sorry. I am kind of freaking out over here, but I shouldn't have yelled at you," he said quietly, so that the others wouldn't overhear.

"It's okay, Finn. I understand," Rachel said with a small smile.

"Okay, now that that's all taken care of, what's our plan?" Blaine asked.

"None of us tried calling for help yet," Brittany said.

Santana kissed her on the forehead. "You're a genius," she said before grabbing her phone out of her pocket. Then she frowned. "I don't have a signal," she said.

"Me neither," Kurt said. He looked at Blaine who shook his head.

"My phone's upstairs," Mercedes said.

"I'll go with you," Rachel said.

"Do you want me to go?" Finn asked.

"That's alright, Finn. We should be fine," Rachel said with a small smile. She got up and led Mercedes toward the lobby. "Wait," she said, turning to face the group. "Stay in the kitchen area. It's safe in here," she said. She then turned and walked with Mercedes into the lobby.

"How in the world does she know that?" Blaine asked.

"She did say that she was kind of psychic once," Kurt said, shrugging.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Why did you volunteer to come?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm not sure… I just seem to be better at picking up things, I guess. I thought that since I see and hear more than anyone else that you'd be safer with me," Rachel figured.

"Is there anything going on now?" Mercedes asked uneasily, stepping closer toward Rachel.

"I don't want to scare you," Rachel replied.

"Just tell me," Mercedes insisted.

"There's something following us up the stairs," Rachel said in a monotone voice. Mercedes looked behind her and started walking faster and faster up the stairs. "Mercedes, they can't hurt you if you don't let them," Rachel said, trying to sound comforting.

They reached the top of the stairs and started walking down hallway. Mercedes slowed as she heard someone call her name. Rachel continued walking.

"Mercedes," she heard plainly. She turned to the left and a door opened slowly in front of her.

"Shane?" she asked. He was sitting on the bed in the room. She walked toward the door, wondering what in the world he was doing here.

Rachel turned around after hearing Mercedes say Shane's name. She watched her walk into the room. "Mercedes! Don't go in there!" Rachel yelled. She ran toward the room and the door slammed in her face. She used her tiny fists and started banging on the door. "Mercedes! It's not real!" She continued banging on the door, but Mercedes couldn't hear her at all.

"Shane? What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked.

"You really hurt me, you know," he said, looking up at her with tears in his eyes.

"I said I was sorry, Shane. I didn't know what came over me," Mercedes said, stepping closer to him. "What are you doing with that?" she asked sharply. He had a gun in his hand.

"What you did killed me inside, Mercedes. I loved you and it hurts too bad," he said, fiddling with the safety of the gun.

"I'm sorry for kissing Sam. I never meant to hurt you," Mercedes said. Her voice was starting to get rougher as she felt the tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"That doesn't change the fact that you did. And it hurts so bad that there's only one way to stop it," he said, lifting the gun to his head.

"Please don't do this, Shane," Mercedes begged. "Please! Let's just talk about this! Please!"

"It's too late for that," Shane said. Mercedes jumped as he pulled the trigger on the gun. She watched helplessly as his lifeless body slumped onto to the bed.

"This is all my fault," she said to herself. She dropped to her knees and brought her head into her hands. "My fault… I'm so sorry… Oh, God…" she sobbed.

She heard the unmistakable sound of creaking bedsprings and raised her head. Shane was sitting up, with a bullet hole bleeding in the side of his head.

"What?" Mercedes asked. He should be dead, not starting to stand up!

She watched in shock and horror as Shane stepped toward her and pulled her to her feet with almost inhuman strength. "All your fault," he said as his hands closed around her throat.

She tried to scream, but she couldn't draw in a breath. She clawed at his large hands, trying to get him to let go. His eyes were cold and lifeless as her vision grew fuzzy.

"It's not real!" Rachel sobbed, still pounding on the door.

"Rachel? What's going on?" Sam asked as he and Puck ran toward her.

"It has Mercedes in there!" she cried. Her hands were starting to hurt from pounding so hard.

Sam's stomach dropped and he started banging on the door, too. "Mercedes! It's Sam!"

Mercedes tried to turn toward the door after hearing Sam's voice. Her body was growing weaker and weaker.

"Tell her it's not real!" Rachel shouted at him.

"It's not real, Mercedes!" he shouted in a panic. Mercedes looked back into Shane's eyes.

"Not… real…" she panted. Shane let go of her and she fell to the ground, drawing in a huge breath. When she looked back up, he was gone.

The door popped open. Sam and Rachel ran inside while Puck stood in the hallway.

Sam kneeled down by Mercedes. "You okay?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"I think so," Mercedes panted. She put her hand to her throat. "It hurts."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"It tried to strangle her," Rachel answered.

"What did?" Puck asked.

"Shane," Mercedes panted.

"It wasn't really him, Mercedes. They were just trying to get to you, so it used him," Rachel explained.

"How do you know this?" Puck asked incredulously.

"I'll explain when we get downstairs," Rachel said. "We should really grab her things while we're up here so she doesn't have to come back. And you can get yours, too."

Puck nodded from the doorway. Sam helped Mercedes to her feet. She was still a little weak, but Rachel was able to support her. They walked out of the room together. When they were halfway down the hallway, the door slammed shut, making all of them jump.

"What the hell?" Puck asked. "What was that?"

"I told you I'd explain when we're downstairs. Let's just hurry," she said. Puck led the way to Mercedes' room and Sam brought up the rear. Puck grabbed Mercedes' suitcase while Sam unlocked his and Puck's door.

Since neither of them packed much, Sam was able to grab both of their suitcases. They all then walked toward the stairs as a group, remaining on high alert.

"Dada," Puck heard when he got to the top of the stairs. The others were ahead of him, already descending. He whipped his head around, looking for the source of the sound. For a second, it sounded like Beth was calling for him.

"Noah, ignore it," Rachel said. She had heard the voice, too and turned to see Puck staring down the hallway. "Noah!" she shouted. He snapped out of it and looked at Rachel. "It's not real. Ignore it," she said firmly. Puck nodded and started walking down the stairs. He heard Beth say "dada" one more time, but he kept walking.

When they got to the kitchen, Rachel pulled out a chair for Mercedes.

"What happened?" Kurt asked, realizing something was wrong with Mercedes. He rushed over to her.

"She was attacked," Rachel said, looking up at everyone else in the room. Sam and Puck joined the group after putting their luggage down in the lobby.

"By what?" Santana asked.

"It was the things here, but they manifested as Shane," Rachel explained. "They tried to kill her."

"You said you would explain what was going on. So explain," Puck said, feeling anxious. He was still thinking about hearing Beth's voice. It sounded just like her; it had to be real.

"I can hear and see more than you guys can at this place. Santana and Quinn and a couple more of you might feel uneasy, but I've actually seen and heard things," Rachel said.

"I heard things, too. Last night," Santana announced to the room.

"Right. We're more perceptive than the rest of you for some reason," she said.

"How?" Finn asked, looking at his fiancée in confusion.

"I don't know how," Rachel answered. "That's just the way it is."

"Do you know what's going on here then?" Blaine asked. Rachel was surprised to see that no one thought she was crazy. It would have sounded absolutely strange to an outsider.

"The Inn wants to keep us here," Rachel said slowly.

"You mean it wants to kill us?" Quinn asked.

"Yes. But it can't if we don't let it," Rachel said to her.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, what Mercedes saw was kind of like an illusion," Rachel said. "There are things here, but it's tricking us. If we just remind ourselves that the illusions aren't real, it can't hurt us."

"How do you know this?" Santana asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure. But when it was attacking Mercedes, it was like I could almost _hear_ it thinking," she said uneasily.

"So we just have to remind ourselves that it's not real and it can't hurt us?" Finn clarified.

"I think so," Rachel answered uneasily.

"But what if it's tricking you by telling you that?" Puck asked.

Rachel had no answer.

-glee-glee-glee-

Blaine, Kurt, Santana, and Brittany went upstairs next to get their things. Kurt and Blaine held hands tightly and so did Santana and Brittany. Santana felt uneasy as they were going up the stairs, so she squeezed Brittany's hand tightly.

They made it to the top of the stairs and Santana didn't feel any better. She glanced over her shoulder so many times that her neck was starting to become sore. They turned the corner and their rooms were right in front of them.

"Remember, just grab your stuff and get out," Blaine said. His and Kurt's room was first on the left. He pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door while Kurt held tightly onto his other hand. Once the door was unlocked, they walked inside. Kurt let go of Blaine's hand and walked over to his suitcase, throwing everything in it. Blaine's was already zipped up and ready to go.

They both looked back toward the door as it slammed shut. Then, Kurt screamed and Blaine felt like getting sick.

Karofsky was hanging from a noose right in front of the door.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Hold on, Brittany," Santana said, trying to put the key in the lock. Brittany stood next to Santana, patiently waiting.

She looked down the hallway when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A cute little girl was standing there. She smiled sweetly at Brittany and held her hand out toward her.

"I think she wants me to come with her," Brittany said to Santana.

Santana unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Who does?" Santana asked in confusion.

"The little girl. She's adorable," Brittany said.

Santana looked down the hallway. She couldn't see anything, but she could feel that something was standing there. "Brittany, she's not real," Santana said firmly. She squeezed Brittany's hand so that she would look at her. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, but she's right there. How is she not real?" Brittany asked.

Santana grabbed Brittany by the shoulders. "Do you remember what Berry said? This place is trying to trick us so it can hurt us. That little girl isn't there, Brittany. Okay?" Brittany nodded and closed her eyes.

_You're not real_, she thought to herself. She opened her eyes back up and Santana was still standing in front of her. She looked over Santana's shoulder and the little girl was gone.

"She's gone," Brittany said in wonder.

"Good," Santana said, feeling relieved. "Now let's get our stuff so we can get the hell outta here."

She grabbed Brittany by the hand and led her into the room. "I left my face wash in the bathroom," Brittany said. She walked into the adjoining bathroom while Santana threw her pajamas from last night into her suitcase. She jumped a foot in the air when the bathroom door slammed shut.

"Brittany! You scared the crap out of me!" she laughed. But everything was silent. "Brittany?" she said. Then, the door to their room slammed shut. Santana whipped her head toward the door and saw her grandmother standing there.

"Abuela?" she asked.

"I can't believe you! You shared a bed with another girl last night? Do you have any idea how much you disgrace me?" she yelled. Santana was taken aback.

"Abuela, I tried to explain it to you," she pleaded. Tears were threatening to fall. Letting her grandmother down was the one thing she didn't want to do. "You don't get to choose who you love. I didn't decide to love Brittany. It just happened."

"No! It doesn't just happen! You made this choice! You should be trying to marry a man and having children! Not living in sin! You disgust me!" she shouted. Santana looked to the ground in shame.

"You are a dirty, worthless little girl. How your parents can tolerate this, I'll never understand," she heard her grandmother say.

She thought of Brittany and remembered that she was still in the bathroom. They were packing because they were trying to leave this place! This isn't real! Her abuela isn't here! Santana raised her head back up. "I'm not dirty or worthless and your little tricks aren't going to work on me. You're not real!" she shouted.

The bathroom door opened and Brittany came back out. Santana turned back to where her fake grandmother had been standing to see the room empty besides her and Brittany.

"Why are you crying?" Brittany asked.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, wiping the tears away. "It didn't beat me."

-glee-glee-glee-

Kurt couldn't take his eyes off Karofsky as he started sobbing. His face was sickly pale; he looked dead. Kurt felt overwhelmed with guilt for turning Karofsky down. How much of Karofsky's suicide was actually Kurt's fault? These thoughts kept running through Kurt's mind as he cried.

Blaine collected himself and looked over to see that Kurt was falling apart. He rushed over to Kurt after having to walk past the hanging body. He put his hands on Kurt's shoulders and began shaking him.  
>"Kurt! Look at me, Kurt!" Blaine pleaded. He jumped when Kurt screamed again. Blaine looked behind him and was scared to see that Karofsky was still hanging from the ceiling, but his eyes were wide open. He tried to reign in the panic while turning back toward Kurt.<p>

"Kurt, listen to me! It's not real! Karfosky didn't die, remember? You visited him in the hospital, Kurt! He's okay! This isn't real!" Blaine shouted.

Kurt tore his eyes from Karofsky and looked at Blaine. "It's not?" he asked in a broken voice.

"No! It's not real!" Blaine yelled him.

"It's not real," Kurt said, sounding like he believed him. "Karofsky didn't die."

"No, he didn't," Blaine said, smiling. "He's fine."

"It's not real," Kurt repeated quietly. They both turned and looked back toward the door at the same time. Nothing was there.

"Can we go now?" Kurt asked moments later, sounding frightened.

"Hell yes," Blaine said. Blaine grabbed his bag while Kurt zipped his up. They were both out the door in record time.

They ran into Santana and Brittany in the hallway. Brittany looked the same as always, but Santana looked like she was more than ready to leave.

-glee-glee-glee-

"I'm so glad you guys are alright," Rachel said, jumping up as Blaine, Kurt, Brittany, and Santana walked into the kitchen. She pulled them each in for a hug.

"What happened?" Puck asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kurt said stiffly.

"Me neither," Santana said quickly.

"You don't have to," Rachel said with a small smile. "Okay, Finn. It's our turn," she said, turning to Finn.

"Remind me why we didn't all just go up at once," Finn asked as he walked up to her.

"I didn't want to make Mercedes go back up there," she explained quietly. "Someone had to stay with her. She's still scared."

Finn nodded in understanding.

"I need to get my things, too," Quinn said, walking up to Finn and Rachel.

"I'll come with you," Puck said quickly, following her. Quinn shrugged but didn't protest.

"Be careful," Kurt said shakily. Rachel looked back at him and nodded with a smile. She then looked at Finn, who smiled at her before grabbing her hand.

Rachel and Finn led the way up the stairs.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel could numerous beings upstairs now – it was way more than before.

"They're angry," she said out loud.

"Why?" Finn asked, looking around uneasily.

"Because we keep beating them," Rachel said, sounding a little smug.

They got to their rooms without any incident, but Rachel knew that the Inn was just waiting for the right moment. She unlocked her and Finn's door while Quinn and Puck walked inside Quinn and Mercedes' room. Rachel got the door unlocked and walked inside. Finn was right behind her, but then Quinn's door slammed shut.

"Rach!" he yelled. Rachel turned back around in time to see her own door slam shut in Finn's face.

"No!" she yelled, launching herself at the door. She tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Finn! Get me out!" she yelled through the door. Finn was on the other side, frantically pounding on the door, but he couldn't hear Rachel or anything.

"Rach! Tell me you're alright!" he shouted into the door.

Silence.

Then, he heard something from down the hall that sounded just like Rachel giggling. After a few moments, he walked toward the noise in confusion.

-glee-glee-glee-

Quinn and Puck both tried to open the door after it slammed shut.

"I can't get it open!" Puck yelled in frustration. Quinn shoved him out of the way and tried to open it on her own.

"Mama. Dada," a little voice said. They both turned and saw a cute little blonde baby sitting in the middle of the floor. Puck's eyes widened.

"Beth!" Quinn said happily.

TBC

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: There's a little cliffhanger for you guys! I hope you're not too mad at me. Let me know if this story is scary enough for you guys. Or let me know if it's too scary! Constructive criticism is always welcome! Please continue reading and reviewing :)


	3. Winners and Losers

A/N: Here's the final chapter. Happy reading! Oh, and I still don't own anything!

Weaknesses

Chapter Three: Winners and Losers

LAST CHAPTER:

_They got to their rooms without any incident, but Rachel knew that the Inn was just waiting for the right moment. She unlocked her and Finn's door while Quinn and Puck walked inside Quinn and Mercedes' room. Rachel got the door unlocked and walked inside. Finn was right behind her, but then Quinn's door slammed shut. _

"_Rach!" he yelled. Rachel turned back around in time to see her own door slam shut in Finn's face. _

"_No!" she yelled, launching herself at the door. She tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Finn! Get me out!" she yelled through the door. Finn was on the other side, frantically pounding on the door, but he couldn't hear Rachel or anything. _

"_Rach! Tell me you're alright!" he shouted into the door. _

_Silence. _

_Then, he heard something from down the hall that sounded just like Rachel giggling. After a few moments, he walked toward the noise in confusion._

_-glee-glee-glee-_

_Quinn and Puck both tried to open the door after it slammed shut. _

"_I can't get it open!" Puck yelled in frustration. Quinn shoved him out of the way and tried to open it on her own._

"_Mama. Dada," a little voice said. They both turned and saw a cute little blonde baby sitting in the middle of the floor. Puck's eyes widened. _

"_Beth!" Quinn said happily. _

-glee-glee-glee-

"Let! Me! Out!" Rachel punctuated each word with a punch to the door.

"Sweetheart, that's not going to help any," she heard her father say. Rachel turned around and saw both of her dads standing in the room. "No one even cares if you make it out of this room."

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked her dad, Hiram, in a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're not exactly the most popular young girl in the world," Leroy Berry said.

"I know that, daddy," Rachel said sadly.

"Hell, we don't even want to be around you most of the time," Hiram said, laughing. Leroy joined in.

"What?" Rachel said in a small voice. "You don't mean that!"

"Of course we do!" Leroy replied. "Why do you think we're always away on business or staying late at work, Rachel?"

Rachel couldn't think of a response. She just stood there, openmouthed.

"No one wants you, Rachel," a voice from behind her said. She turned and saw her mother at the opposite end of the room.

"Shelby?" Rachel said, a question in her voice.

"You found your mother and what happened, Rachel? She didn't want anything to do with you. She gave you up all those years ago and gave you up again two years ago. Do you get it now?" Hiram asked.

"None of you mean any of this!" Rachel said with tears starting to fall down her face. She looked down at the floor, unable to meet any of their eyes.

"Of course we do, Rachel!" another voice claimed. Rachel looked up and saw Finn standing there, holding Quinn's hand.

"Finn? What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm telling you the truth, Rachel. You were just another phase of mine. We all knew I'd go back to Quinn eventually," he reached down and kissed Quinn on the cheek, making Quinn giggle. Rachel felt like getting sick. "Your dads don't want you. Your mom doesn't want you. I don't want you. Most of the Glee club can't stand you."

Rachel looked down again, the sobs threatening to overtake her.

But then she caught a glimpse of her engagement ring.

"No," she said, looking back up.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Shelby laughed.

"I mean no. You're wrong. My dads love me. Shelby and I have gotten closer. And I know that Finn loves me," she insisted.

"You're wrong, Rachel," Finn said with a smile.

"No, I'm not. You wanna know how I know this?" she asked, looking from face to face.

"Enlighten us," Hiram said with a sneer.

"I _know_ this because none of you are even real!" she shouted. "Nice try, but _you can't beat_ _me_!" She watched as each of their faces went blank. Then, right before her eyes, they all disappeared. The door opened slowly and Rachel ran toward it.

-glee-glee-glee-

As soon as Finn heard Rachel's laugh, he followed the sound of it down the hallway. He was confused, 'cause didn't he just leave her by their room? He heard her laugh again and there was no doubt that it was Rachel. That laugh was one of his favorite sounds in the world; he'd know it anywhere.

He walked past room 225 and he heard her laugh again. Then, he heard what sounded like a man's voice.

_What the hell?_ he thought before throwing open the door.

The sight in front of him made him want to cry, get sick, and kick someone's ass all at the same time.

Rachel was rolling around in bed with Puck.

"What the fuck's going on?" he shouted. Both Rachel and Puck looked up at him with smirks on their faces.

"Noah, why don't you go get us some refreshments, we'll be in here for a while," she said to Puck.

"Sure thing, babe," Puck said before kissing her forehead. Finn stood there in shock as Puck just strolled past him out of the room like nothing happened.

"Rach? How could you do this?" he asked in a broken voice.

"Oh, Finn, you knew this was going to happen eventually. Sure, you're great, but you know that you're not everything a woman needs," she said, shrugging.

"But we're supposed to get married!" he said, sounding like he was begging for her to understand.

"Marriage is just a piece of paper, Finn," Rachel replied with a smirk. "And you can't just blame me for this. It's obvious that Noah doesn't care about you, either. This is the… what? Third time he did this? You really need to pick better friends."

Finn stood there in thought for a moment. "I'm gonna kill him," he growled before walking out of the room. Rachel smirked before disappearing into thin air.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel walked out of the room just in time to see Finn running toward her with rage on his face.

"Finn? What's wrong?" she asked, jogging up to him.

"Stay away from me," he snapped at her. "Where the hell is Puck?"

"What are you looking for him for?" she asked, feeling utterly and completely confused.

"Oh, like you don't know!" Finn said, looking at her with disgust written all over his face.

"I don't know!" Rachel yelled. "Tell me what's going on!"

"What? You don't remember me walking in on you and Puck in bed together? It happened just two damn minutes ago!" Finn shouted.

Then, understanding lit Rachel's expression. "Finn, that didn't really happen," she said calmly.

"I saw you!" he shouted.

Rachel stepped right up to him and grabbed his face, making him look at her square in the eye. "Listen to me, this place is messing with you. That didn't happen," she explained like she was talking to a small child.

Finn shook his head in disbelief. "But I saw you," he said in a low voice.

"It wasn't real, Finn," she insisted. She let go of his face and held her left hand up in front of him. "You see this? You and me being engaged. That's real. What you saw isn't."

"You said marriage is just a piece of paper," he replied quietly.

"That wasn't me. And you know I think being married to you means everything," she said with a smile.

"It really wasn't real?" he asked.

"No, it wasn't," Rachel said. "I would never do something like that to you again. I love you too much."

Finn smiled before pulling her in for a bone crushing hug. "I'm so sorry," he said firmly. "I should have known that wasn't you."

"It's okay," Rachel insisted. Finn let go of her. "This place tried to convince me that you were with Quinn again."

"Like that would ever happen," Finn scoffed. "You're my fiancée, Rach. You're the one I'm gonna be with forever."

Rachel smiled before grabbing Finn by the shirt and pulling him in for a kiss. Before they could get too into it, Rachel remembered something important.

She pulled away from Finn with a look of panic on her face. "Where are Puck and Quinn?" she asked.

-glee-glee-glee-

"Hi, baby girl," Quinn said, walking toward Beth with her arms wide open. Beth smiled and reached up to Quinn, grasping her fists open and closed.

Puck just stood there with a smile on his face, loving seeing Quinn and Beth together.

"What do you think you're doing?" they heard a voice say. Before Quinn could grab Beth, both her and Puck looked up and saw Shelby walking toward them.

"I'm allowed to see my daughter, Shelby," Quinn said coldly.

"She's _my_ daughter, Quinn. I'm her _mother_," she replied. She grabbed Beth off the floor and started walking away from them. Beth squirmed in Shelby's arms and tried to reach for Quinn.

"Mama! Dada!" she cried.

"Stop, Shelby! She wants me!" Quinn yelled desperately.

"You can't have it both ways, Quinn," Shelby spat, turning back around. "You gave her up; you can't just get her back any time."

"Mama!" Beth cried again, reaching to Quinn. Shelby rocked Beth back and forth, attempting to soothe her.

"Please don't take her from me again!" Quinn said, tears filling her eyes. Puck looked around in confusion.

_How the hell did they get here? _he asked himself. They were literally locked in the Inn, so how could Shelby and Beth be here right now?

"Noah!" he heard someone shout from outside the door. Then, he heard loud banging noises.

_Berry? _he wondered. Puck would know that voice from anywhere; she nagged him all the freaking time! He ran to the door and put his ear up to it.

"Berry? Is that you?" he asked through the door.

"Yes, Noah! It's not real! You have to get Quinn out of there!" she shouted.

Puck nodded to himself before turning back toward Quinn. She had dropped to the floor and her shoulders were shaking with sobs. He ran to her side and kneeled down next to her. After sending an angry glare at the fake Shelby, he grabbed Quinn softly by the shoulders.

"Quinn, you need to listen to me," he said firmly. "None of this is real. We're at an Inn in the middle of freaking nowhere. Shelby and Beth aren't really here."

Quinn looked up at him with bleary eyes. "She's right here, Puck. Right in front of your damn face," she said, pointing at a squirming Beth, who was still trying to get out of Shelby's arms.

Puck looked up at Shelby and Beth for a second. Beth was still crying and it broke his damn heart, but he knew this wasn't real. Shelby was smirking at him with a satisfied look on her face. He then looked back to Quinn.

"They aren't real," he insisted firmly.

"Of course I'm real," Shelby sneered. "I'm real and you're never going to see Beth again. I'll make sure of it."

"Shut the fuck up you imaginary bitch!" he shouted at Shelby. The smile dropped and she glared at him. He turned his attention back to Quinn. She was looking at him in confusion. He grabbed her face softly. "Quinn, I swear to you that this isn't real. And you will see Beth again. I promise," he said.

She looked over at Beth and Shelby out of the corner of her eye. "They're not real?" she asked in a small voice.

"No," Puck said. "They're not here. It's just me and you in here. Do you believe me?" he asked, mentally crossing his fingers.

She closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek. "I believe you," she said faintly. He quickly snapped his head up and saw that Shelby and Beth were gone. Then, Quinn fell into his arms.

"I miss her so much," she sobbed. Puck wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I know you do," he said faintly. The door then crashed open. Puck and Quinn looked up and saw a breathless Rachel and a worried Finn stumble into the room.

"Sorry!" Rachel squeaked. "We didn't mean to interrupt! We were just…" she looked to Finn for help.

"We were just making sure you were alive," Finn said with a shrug.

"Exactly," Rachel said with a small smile.

"Well, uh, thanks. I guess," Puck said. He looked at Quinn. She wiped her eyes before standing up.

"Can we please get out of here?" she asked.

Rachel nodded and smiled a little. "Grab your things and we'll figure something out," she said.

Quinn returned the small smile before walking over to her suitcase.

"We should grab our stuff, too," Finn said, grabbing Rachel by the elbow.

"Right," Rachel agreed. She reached down and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward their room. Both Rachel and Finn entered the room a little apprehensively, fearing another attack of some sort. "Let's just hurry, okay?" Rachel said uneasily.

"I'm more than happy to get the hell out of here," Finn replied. Rachel grabbed her things and unceremoniously threw them into her suitcase, for once not caring about how tidy everything looked. Finn did the same, but that was how he usually packed. They zipped their bags up at the same time.

"You take mine and I'll take yours," Finn said, remembering that Rachel's bag weighed as much as she did. Rachel smiled a little and walked over to Finn. He gently placed his bag on her shoulder before walking over to grab hers. He grunted a little while setting it upright. He pulled the handle up and rolled it toward the door.

"Ready?" he asked.

"You have no idea," Rachel replied.

They walked out into the hallway and were met by Quinn and Puck. He was carrying her suitcase for her, and she still looked deeply bothered by what had happened.

"Maybe we should just go home and spend the rest of Spring Break in Lima," Puck suggested.

"I second that," Quinn said from next to him.

"You won't hear any complaints from me," Finn said. "What about you, Rach?" he asked. He turned and was surprised to see Rachel looking down the hallway, almost like she was in a trance.

"Rach?" he asked once more. He waved a hand in front of her face and she didn't even blink.

"Berry!" Puck shouted abruptly, making all of them jump, including Rachel.

"What?" Rachel snapped, startled.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked, looking down the hallway uneasily.

"I'm perfectly fine," Rachel replied. "Can we go now?"

Puck looked from Finn to Rachel in confusion before shrugging and leading the way down the hallway. Quinn followed right behind him.

"You sure you're okay?" Finn asked, walking next to Rachel.

"I'm fine," she said with a small smile. "I'm just ready to leave."

"You and me both," he said with a smirk. He reached down and grabbed her free hand with his. They got to the stairs without incident, much to everyone's relief. Puck went down first, followed by Quinn. Finn had started down the stairs, struggling a little with Rachel's suitcase. Rachel felt a presence behind her and turned.

Down the entire hallway were dozens of people, staring right at her. She became overwhelmed with emotion as she looked at all of them.

They weren't going to hurt her. These were all the people that had died there. They were a mixture of the young and the old, some of them were even small children. Looking at them, it was almost like she could read their minds. They all had suffered so much.

"I'm sorry," she choked out as tears started clouding her vision. "If I could save all of you, I would have."

She turned toward the stairs and saw that Finn was a step away from the bottom. She took the first step down before feeling a pair of large hands on her back. Before she could turn and see who it was, she was shoved. She tried to catch herself, but the bag toppled to the side and sent her down the stairs.

Her had slammed into a stair, knocking her unconscious immediately.

After hearing the loud thuds, Finn turned around, expecting to see Rachel having dropped his bag. He wasn't expecting to see Rachel rolling down the staircase, her head crashing into stairs as she rolled down.

"Rachel!" he shouted. He shoved her suitcase away from him and ran back toward the stairs. With one final thud, Rachel's body slammed to the floor. One of her arms was thrown over her head and the other one was tossed around her midsection. Her legs were apart, resting at an odd angle. Finn's bag was rested partially on top of her. He dropped to his knees and pulled the bag off of her, throwing it to the side.

He moved her hair out of her face and was surprised to see blood saturating her hair.

"Guys! Get in here!" he yelled to anyone that could hear. "Rach, can you hear me?" he asked more quietly. She was silent. The only reassurance that he had was that he could hear her breathing. "Babe, come on," he said softly.

He heard quick footsteps coming toward him. He looked up just in time to see Puck and Sam enter into the room.

"What happened?" Puck asked, falling to his knees beside Rachel.  
>Finn looked up with tears in his eyes. "I don't know. She fell or something," he guessed, shrugging.<p>

"This wasn't an accident," Santana said sharply. Finn looked up at her questioningly.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked before Finn could. He knelt by her head and pushed her hair even further out of the way, seeing how much blood there was.

"She didn't fall. She was shoved," Santana said, looking up the stairs with a glare.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

"I just know," she said, not looking away from the stairs. Finn looked back down at Rachel.

"What do we do?" he asked, anguish in his voice.

"We need to get to a hospital," Quinn said from the back of the group. "And we need to hurry."

"Listen here, you son of a bitch!" Santana shouted. "You can't have any of us! We beat you, so you better let us the hell out of here! Right now!" They all looked around themselves in silence, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Well, everyone except Finn. His eyes never left Rachel's face.

"You let us out of here before I got all Lima Heights on your transparent ass!" Santana yelled.

"Checking out?" they heard from behind them. They all turned in shock, even Finn, and saw the old man from before standing at his little desk.

Santana swallowed thickly before speaking up. "Yes. We'd like to check out immediately," she said firmly.

"Very well," he said in a monotone voice. "You may go."

Sam snapped out of his confusion and threw himself at the door. He could have cried when it opened without any difficulties.

"Thank God!" Kurt moaned. He turned his attention back to Rachel.

"You guys go pack up the car. I'll carry Rachel," Finn said.

"Should you really be moving her, Finn?" Mercedes asked worriedly.  
>"I don't have a choice," he huffed. "We're not staying here a minute longer."<p>

"You heard him," Santana barked. "Go pack the damn car." The rest of the Glee club, except for Finn, Kurt, and an unconscious Rachel, all rushed to grab their things and take them to the car.

"Grab her coat out of her suitcase for me," Finn said to Kurt. Kurt got up and was back a minute later with a pink winter coat in his hand.

"This looks terrible with what she's wearing," he muttered.

"You can tell her that when she wakes up," Finn said. He stood and pulled his own jacket from his bag and slipped it on.

"Just pick her up and I'll lay it over her," Kurt said. Finn nodded before reaching down and picking her up like she was an infant. He supported her head, fearing that any sudden movements would aggravate her injuries.

"Her ankle doesn't look good, Finn," Kurt said after Rachel was settled in his arms. Finn craned his head and looked down at her left ankle.

It was already obviously swollen. She was wearing tights, but you could see that her left ankle was thicker than the other one. Kurt carefully pulled off her shoe and put it in her suitcase before laying her coat over her.

"I'll take her out to the car," Finn said. "You guys hurry up."

"We will," Kurt said.

Finn was very careful with Rachel as he walked to the car. He went slowly and tried his best to avoid any patches of ice. The wind was blowing hard and Rachel's coat was only lying on top of her, so Finn picked up the pace just a tiny bit.

He decided that holding Rachel was more important than driving, so he sat in the middle seats, closest to the door. Rachel was lying across his lap, with his arm keeping her head as still as possible.

Ten minutes later, the rest of the Glee club piled into the car. Kurt sat next to Finn and Rachel with Puck taking the driver's seat. Everyone else squeezed in, ready and excited to be getting the hell out of there.

"What if this is like one of those horror movies where the car doesn't start?" Sam asked worriedly before Puck put the key in the ignition.

"Shut up!" the entire car, minus Rachel, shouted at him.

Puck did breathe a sigh of relief when the car started without any issues.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn was more than excited when Kurt shouted out that a hospital was ten miles from there. He craned his neck and caught sight of the sign for the hospital, smiling widely.

"You just gotta wait a little bit longer, Rach," Finn said quietly to her.

The Glee club received some stares as they walked into the hospital together. It was quite strange for the hospital staff to see a large teenager carrying a small girl, followed by eight people.

One of the nurses grabbed a gurney and wheeled it over to Finn.

"Set her down here," she instructed gently. Finn did as he was told, placing Rachel down softly, like she was made of glass. "What happened?" the nurse asked, starting to wheel Rachel away.

"She fell down some stairs," Finn said. "She hit her head and her ankle looks bad."

The nurse nodded and started walking faster. She walked to a set of double doors and looked back at Finn and the others, who had followed her.

"I'm sorry, but you're all going to have to stay in the waiting room. Someone will come out and let you know how she's doing as soon as we know something," she said. Another nurse walked over with a clipboard.

"Take her back, Sherry," the other nurse said. "I've got the paperwork." The first nurse nodded and pushed Rachel through the double doors. Finn watched her worriedly as she was wheeled away.

"I'm Nicole," the middle aged nurse introduced herself. "Now, what's the patient's name?"

"Rachel Berry," Finn responded quickly.

"And how did she sustain her injuries?" the nurse asked, scribbling something down.

"She fell down some stairs," Kurt said. The nurse raised her eyebrow disbelievingly.

"She was carrying a suitcase down and fell," Puck explained further.

"Alright," the nurse said, looking up. "Age?"

"Eighteen," Finn replied.

"Birth date?" the nurse asked.  
>"December eighteenth," Finn said, groaning a little. "How many more questions do you have?"<p>

"Plenty," the nurse said. She led them into the waiting room and continued asking questions. By the time she was finished, fifteen minutes had passed. She told them she would be back with news once Rachel was seen by the doctor.

"Now what do we do?" Finn asked in a huff, sitting back in the uncomfortable hospital chair.

"We wait," Kurt huffed from next to him.

-glee-glee-glee-

Puck's arm was wrapped around Quinn's shoulder as they slept in the uncomfortable hospital chairs. Blaine, Tina, and Mike had made pillows out of their coats and sprawled out on the floor. Kurt was in a chair right by them, about to fall off if he rolled either way. Brittany was leaning on Santana as they both slept. Mercedes was in a chair next to Kurt, snoring slightly.

Finn was the only one awake. They had been there for hours and _still _hadn't heard anything about Rachel's condition. While they had been waiting, they had already called all of their parents and told them about the snowstorm and having to stay at an Inn. They neglected to mention that the Inn was totally and completely haunted. They told their parents the same story that they had told the nurse – that Rachel had fallen down the stairs after trying to carry down a suitcase.

Finn's leg was bouncing nervously as he stared at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. Finn hadn't left this chair, except to literally run to the bathroom, in fear of missing the nurse telling them any news. But it turned out that he could have walked to the bathroom and even gone to the cafeteria for some food without missing anything.

He huffed and stood up, unable to wait any longer.

He stepped over his friends who were sleeping on the floor and walked out into the hallway. He saw the nurse's station down the hallway and marched there with determination.

"Excuse me?" he said firmly yet politely. One of the nurses looked up at him expectantly. "Do you have any news on Rachel Berry yet? We've been waiting for hours."

The nurse looked up at the clipboards and folders that littered the top of the desk. She spotted one and picked it up, opening the folder.

"Miss Rachel Berry was diagnosed with a concussion. They gave her stitches as well as put a cast on a broken ankle," the nurse read.

"Is she going to be okay?" Finn asked with concern.

"It says here that she still hasn't woken up, but she's stable and her scans were normal," the nurse said.

"Is there any way that I can go in her room?" Finn asked, unleashing the face he used with teachers when asking for an extension on his homework. "She's my fiancé and I'm worried about her."

"I don't see why not," the nurse said, seeming to ignore his puppy dog eyes. "There are no established visiting hours, so you can come and go as you please."

Finn smiled widely. "What room is she in?" he asked.

"Room 427," the nurse read off the chart. "It's down the hall and turn left. It's on the right."

"Thanks," Finn said before speed walking down the hallway. On the way to the room, he sent Kurt a text that he would be in Rachel's room and where it was so they could visit in the morning.

He opened the door slowly, trying to stay quiet. Immediately, he heard this annoying beeping noise. He stepped into the dimly lit room and shut the door behind him before turning toward Rachel. She was lying on the bed and looked like she was just sleeping. Finn stepped closer and could see the stitches going from her hairline to into her hair. Her leg was a lump under the blankets and there were a few small bruises all over her arms from falling down the stairs.

Finn took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. He really didn't like seeing Rachel looking this vulnerable. Vulnerability wasn't something that was usually attributed to Rachel Berry.

He sat in the chair that was next to the bed and was glad to find out that it was so much comfier than the chairs in the waiting room. He was pretty sure that it even reclined.

He felt better being in the same room with Rachel, knowing that she was going to be okay. Sure, she'd probably be pissed about having a broken leg, but there wasn't anything they could do about it.

He reclined the chair and tried to go to sleep, hoping that she would wake up in the morning.

-glee-glee-glee-

By morning, Rachel still hadn't woken up, but the entire Glee club had been in to see her. After that, they decided to find a cheap motel where everyone could shower and change clothes. Finn had to make them promise that it wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere and that if anyone felt uneasy at all, they wouldn't stay there.

Finn had already memorized every sign that was in Rachel's room. He tried pronouncing the long names of the medicine that was pumping through her IV.

He eventually fell asleep on Rachel's unbroken leg to the soothing sound of her breathing.

But Finn didn't sleep long when he felt his head being moved. He opened his eyes and it took him a few moments to remember where he was. He sat up and saw Rachel sitting there, wide awake, and staring at him in confusion.

"Hey, babe," he said with a smile. "I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"Where am I?" she asked, looking so lost.

"You're in the hospital. You fell down some stairs. The doc said you have a concussion. And if you couldn't tell, your leg's broken," he said, pointing down to the lump under the blankets.

"Okay," she said slowly. "But who are you?"

"Wh-What?" Finn asked in a broken voice. "I'm Finn. Your fiancé."

Rachel's eyes widened and she looked down at her left hand. There was a ring there. "But I don't know you," she said, looking back up at him. Finn could literally feel his heart breaking.

"But Rach, you do know me! You know me better than anyone! Just… just think really hard and you'll remember," Finn practically begged. Then, Rachel broke out into a wide smile.

"Gotcha!" she laughed.

"What?" Finn asked in confusion.

"I know who you are, Finn. I just had to take this perfect chance to practice my 'waking up out of a coma' lines in case I ever landed a role that required it," she said, acting like it made total sense.

Finn backed up away from her and sat back in his chair. "That's not funny," he said in a firm voice. "I've been sitting here, freaking the fuck out, and you do something like that? I can't believe you sometimes."

Rachel's smile faded away and she frowned at Finn. "Finn, I'm sorry. I didn't think-"

She stopped talking when Finn smiled. "I believe it's my turn to say 'gotcha'!" he laughed.

Rachel sat up and slapped his arm. "You're such a jerk," she complained with a smile.

"Now you know how it feels to be messed with," Finn said with a shrug.

"You're right. It won't happen again," Rachel said with a huff.

"But you were very convincing," Finn commented.

"Really?" Rachel asked, her smile forming again.

"Totally. I believed you," Finn said, also starting to smile. He then stood and brought his lips to hers. She kissed him back firmly before he sat back down. "Welcome back," he said with a smile.

"It's good to be back," Rachel said. "What did I miss?"

"Well, we obviously got out of that hell hole and everyone came and brought you here. We waited _forever_, so everyone found a motel to wash up and stuff," Finn summarized. He noticed that Rachel's eyes widened at the last part. "Babe, don't worry. Santana can tell when something's off. And everyone believes her now, so they'll listen to her."

"Good," Rachel said, looking relieved. "Just promise me something."

"Anything," Finn said with a smirk.

"The next time we decide to go on a road trip, we're staying at an overpopulated place away from snowfall of any kind," Rachel said with no trace of humor in her eyes.

Finn laughed. "I promise," he said, reaching forward to kiss her forehead.

"Good. Now stay away from the third floor. There's some strange stuff going on up there," Rachel said, looking up at the ceiling in concern. Finn's gaze followed hers.

Finn jumped up. "Let me go ask the nurse when you're being discharged," he said quickly before practically running out of the room.

THE END

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: I'm finally on summer vacation, so I finished this story! I know you've been waiting forever for it, so I hope it meets your expectations. Please leave a review so I can better my writing :)


End file.
